Devil's Son-Welcome to the Madhouse
by Devil's Son
Summary: a little interlude-What does Cain think of his life with the X-Men and how the Professor runs things?


Disclaimer: own X-Men no, own Cain yes  
  
WeLComE To The MAdHOusE  
  
Cain was sitting on the floor of Clarice's room with Clarice wrapped in his arm, trying to ease her sobbing which had not stopped in unrecognizable amount of time. He actually had stopped doing that a couple minutes ago and had started thinking about why this was happening.  
  
He didn't realize when he moved in here to be near Clarice and in no small way try and get a hold on his shattered mind and as of late uncontrollable powers that this was a madhouse. This wasn't any school for gifted youngsters or even the secret headquarters for a band of mutant superheroes, this was Xavier's Asylum for Loopy Mutants. All one had to do was spend a month approximately here and you were sucked into the pit of depression, dementia and angst. He hadn't thought it was odd for him to get a psychological evaluation until he found out it was mandatory for all members and subject to review and reevaluation every six months. Hank had told him that everyone in the mansion took them and almost everyone also had regular sessions with the Prof. He found out that everyone he was living with was either in some serious counselling or on serious medication, serious pink elephants dancing and shit fruit loops crazy. It suprised him and didn't at the same time, they seem so normal and together to him at first glance but the more time he spent around them, watched their routines and got to know them the more he could see it. Superheroing took it's tool, he should have caught on with the amount of psychotropic and mood enhancing drugs Hank kept in his lab.  
  
He for one thought that maybe it was in some way Charles fault, maybe people shouldn't be forced to take this close a look at all their faults. Charles in his quest for peace between humans and mutants had realized that for this to happen people would have to be alot more comfortable with themselves mentally. He had taken these people and used them as an experiment towards that end. He had them picking away at themselves, every single insecurity and fear he had them facing, some so small and insignificant that it made Cain laugh but at the same time cry. What some people called personality quirks Xavier called mental disorder, it was out of hand. Cain considered himself lucky, at least he wasn't on all the drugs Charles had some of the others popping.  
  
Betsy, now she was a mess. Cain thought she would be alot better if she didn't have become dependant on the drugs to get through the day. Booby, that happy facade he had found out was from Charles' refusal to take him off Prozac. Charles had hinted that Cain's problem might be beyond treatment, Cain thanked his lucky stars. He didn't like what Charles treatment did to people. Clarice was a perfect example, she returned from her sessions with the Professor a crying emotional wreck, Cain would go talk to him but every time he did he would either get into some discussion about himself or get reproached from Xavier's little lap dog Scott.  
  
The Professor was tossing around a couple theories about Cain, one that maybe Cain's problem was some sort of new neurological disorder similar to Tourettes Syndrome. Though he doubted that Sinister would have ever allowed something like that to occur in his genetic code. So the second theory came about, it really was classic in Cain's opinion. Charles surmised that he may be looking at some kind of Super-Sanity, a brilliant if not twisted new modification of perception. More suited to urban life at the beginning of the twenty first century. Unlike the everyday man or woman, Cain for all his enhanced senses had no control over the sensory information he recieved from the outside world, the fact he was telepathic only made the overload of information worse. Cain could only cope with the chaotic barrage of input by going with the flow. That would be why Cain was one day a mischevious clown and the next a psychotic killer. He had no real personality, he merely created himself each day. He had merely adapted, it was a survival instinct for the conscience. Now what kind of man comes up with theories like these, a madman Cain said to himself. Funny, a madman trying to cure the supposedly mad. But still he might have something there.  
  
Xavier himself was not above his own scrutiny, he had himself on a mirade of drugs. Although being a telepath he understood the constant barrage of voices and the madness it caused if you were not in constant control. Another reason he thought Charles was not suited to be diagnosing these people let alone treating them. Cain also thought that maybe the Professor kept his students so insecure and on the brink of breakdowns so they wouldn't leave him and his precious dream. They couldn't survive in the outside world. Well not all of them, for all the time Logan had spent with him working on control and whatever else Xavier had decided was wrong with him, he still managed to operate outside these walls without the Professor, Remy too. Cyclops seemed to be Xavier's finished product, so damn loyal to Charles that he could never lead alife away from the Dream. If that was Charles' definition of sanity, Cain would rather be stark raving mad, consumed by lunacy and a bunch of other descriptive words.  
  
Night was the worst time around the asylum as Cain had dubbed it, he had never lived with anyone for more then one night. And certainly never with anyone with problems like these peoples. Cain's control of his telepathy was not very good, The Professor had worked with him, Betsy and Jean as well. But still it was in the beginning stages. Sometimes at night he was sucked, for lack of a better word, into the nightmares of the other residents of the asylum. As if he didn't have enough problems himself, he had been in the middle of Wolverine's darkest moments and Clarice's memories of her reality, he was really proud of how she came out of there and managed to still maintain some innocence. Scott's insecuritie's about his leadership ability and Jean's fear that she would lose control, Betsy being pulled into the shadows and Bishop's memories of his nightmarish future.   
  
Cain had stopped sleeping, he couldn't take not knowing if he would be trapped in someone elses mind for the night. He now was using a technique he had learned from some crazy Tibetan monk he had met in some hole in the wall in East Asia that slowed his heartbeat and other body functions while still being awake, it relieved some of the tiredness but it was draining him. He wouldn't dare go to Charles for fear of treatment, he had to be strong for Clarice and not get sucked into this vicious cycle.  
  
Cain looked down at the small girl that was huddled in his arms, she was the only thing he needed. She had fallen asleep, she looked so calm and innoccent in sleep. Not a hint of the problems that Xavier had diagnosed her with, Cain picked her up and carried her to her bed and tucked her in. He dared not crawl into bed with her for fear of becoming to comfortable and falling asleep and the fact that they had yet slept together, how would she react. He would have never have passed this oppurtunity before, maybe he was developing some redeeming qualities. Something about the madhouse, turned the crazy sane and the sane crazy.  
  
Cain slid out of the room without a sound, just one last glance at the girl who had stolen his heart and was most likely his chance at redemption. As he walked through the halls his sensitive hearing picked up every moan and sign of distress coming from the sleeping occupants of the asylum. No sleep tonight. He made his way down to the Rec room to watch some T.V., maybe some latenight soccer on satellite would get his mind off all the madness. As he passed the Professor's study he noticed a light on and his ears picked up some nonsensical mutterings emanating from within. He dared not enter, he just carried on shaking his head. Pressure getting to him Cain thought, when he arrived in the large room that held the big screen television, he was met by Betsy sitting on the couch staring at the screen but not really watching. "Hey babe, why you up" Cain said sliding down next to her. "Couldn't sleep, nightmares luv. Professor thinks its has to due with some emotional withdrawl psychobabble nonsense, I not really sure about it myself but he's the genius" the british/asian beauty responded in a weary voice. He sat in silence as she gulped down a handful of rainbow coloured pills followed by a long drink of water. "Here, go ta sleep there just dreams, they can't hurt you" he whispered to her as she stretched out on the spacious couch. "There nothing wrong, babe just go ta sleep" Cain whispered as he stroked her hair until she drifted off into sleep. Yeah, he is the genius but there is a fine line between genius and madness Cain said to himself as he changed the channel and settled into a comfortable but not too comfortable position for another night in the madhouse.  
  
Please review and thanks fo' reading. 


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